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Setting sail on a dream voyage can potentially drain your wallet. However, you don’t need to sink further into debt paying for transportation to the cruise terminal. If your embarkation point is Port Canaveral, Fla., there are ways to preserve your bottom line as you prepare to hit the high seas. Hotels near the cruise ship mecca offer deals which include accommodations and essentially free shuttle service to Port Canaveral.

Beach Bargain

Comfort Inn and Suites Cocoa Beach offers package deals featuring virtually free shuttle service to Port Canaveral. The hotel -- situated 8 miles from the cruise terminal -- has a “No Parking” pre-cruise promotion, which is ideal if you are without a car in Cocoa Beach. It includes overnight accommodations, a welcome cocktail and one-way transportation for two directly to Port Canaveral. Itemize the package’s expenses and the shuttle service is practically free.

The “Park & Cruise” combo includes lodging in a standard room, parking in the hotel’s lot for the duration of your trip and shuttle rides for two guests to and from Port Canaveral. The total cost of the package is less than you’d pay if you were parking your vehicle at the cruise terminal for a week.

If you’re traveling by air to embark on your voyage, consider the hotel’s “Fly, Snooze & Cruise” package. It features round-trip transportation from the Orlando International Airport, overnight lodging, a beverage at check-in and shuttle service for two to Port Canaveral. The package’s price is less than you’d pay for a bus ride from the airport to the cruise terminal.

Cost-Effective and Convenient

Radisson Resort at the Port -- located in Cape Canaveral -- sits less than 5 miles from Port Canaveral. It is the closest full-service resort to the cruise terminal and offers two money-saving stay, shuttle and sail packages. The “Park & Cruise” deal includes overnight accommodations in a deluxe room, parking for one car for the duration of your cruise and shuttle service to and from Port Canaveral for two. Choose the “Park, Cruise & Breakfast” bundle and you’ll receive an overnight stay, breakfast for two, round-trip shuttle service to the cruise terminal for two and hotel parking for one vehicle for the length of your voyage. In addition, both packages allow you to add extra riders for a nominal fee.

Free Ride

Book La Quinta Inn Cocoa Beach-Port Canaveral’s “Park & Cruise” package and you and a guest will be chauffeured to and from Port Canaveral for free. You can also park your vehicle at the hotel for the length of your trip at no extra charge. The promotion is offered year-round and includes overnight lodging at the budget hotel, plus free breakfast. Basically, you score the shuttle service and parking for the price of a standard room. Another bonus: The hotel’s location -- less than 10 minutes from Port Canaveral -- makes for a swift commute.

Economical Escape

Get more bang for your buck when you take advantage of Courtyard by Marriott Cocoa Beach-Port Canaveral’s “Park & Cruise” package. Pay the rack rate or best available rate on a room, plus a flat fee, and receive free parking at the hotel for the duration of your vacation at sea and round-trip shuttle service to Port Canaveral for two. Skip the package and you’ll have to pay for hotel parking, as well as a taxi to the terminal. The “Fly, Snooze and Cruise” deal features lodging, ground transportation to and from Orlando International Airport and round-trip shuttle service to the cruise terminal. The price is based on room availability for a single occupant, plus a one-time fee. Despite the fee, the total package price is still less than what you’d fork over if you were paying for overnight accommodations and ground transportation individually.

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Leaf Group is a USA TODAY content partner providing general travel information. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

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About the Author

Michele Wanke is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been writing and reporting about travel and garden trends since 1996. Her work has earned her multiple Edward R. Murrow Awards and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association National Max Karant Journalism Award. Wanke holds a Bachelor's of Arts in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.